Teachers in Professional Communities: Improving Teaching and Learning » (New Edition)

Based on research and many years of lived experience in schools, the authors have become convinced that teachers learn best within their own work communities. In this volume, they explore what research and practice have to tell us about how such communities grow and develop, and how to negotiate the inherent tension between improving competence and building community. Using five themes that emerged from their studies of practice (context, capacity, content, commitment, and challenge), the authors examine selected research studies, personal reflections, and five cases that were especially commissioned for this volume in order to uncover new insights and understandings.

Pt. I Learning from research and development

1 Contexts and commitments Ann Lieberman Lieberman, Ann Lynne Miller Miller, Lynne 7

2 Developing capacities Ann Lieberman Lieberman, Ann Lynne Miller Miller, Lynne 18

3 Balancing content and process : facing challenges Ann Lieberman Lieberman, Ann Lynne Miller Miller, Lynne 29

Pt. II Learning from practice and reflection

4 Meeting at the cafe to do teacherly things : community and competence in a teacher preparation program Christine Cziko Cziko, Christine 41

5 Learning from practice/learning in practice : using multimedia to support teacher development Desiree H. Pointer Mace Mace, Desiree H. Pointer 51

6 The New Teacher Center Forum : developing a community of practice Ellen Moir Moir, Ellen Susan Hanson Hanson, Susan 61

7 Increasing elementary teachers' fundamental math content knowledge and developing a collaborative faculty Matt Ellinger Ellinger, Matt 73

8 Understanding science : the role of community in content learning Mayumi Shinohara Shinohara, Mayumi Kirsten R. Daehler Daehler, Kirsten R. 85

9 Reflecting on the themes of context, commitment, capacity, content, and challenge Ann Lieberman Lieberman, Ann Lynne Miller Miller, Lynne 97

References 107

About the editors and contributors 111

Index 115